Zacheus Greystone
Background Zacheus Greystone. It is a simple name with little meaning beyond a small circle of individuals, most of which were destined to meet unfortunate ends themselves. More commonly known by the name he's given himself, Zerubael, is a Death Knight who remains unrepentant of what he's done. Coming from humble beginnings, Zacheus was born to a family of stonemasons living on the outskirts of Westfall. His father was murdered by the Defias for disagreeing with the rest of the Stone Mason's Guild and their rebellion. Most of his family was killed by bandits or starved, and young Zacheus took it upon himself to seek justice for his family's sake. Taking up his hammer and what few possessions that were left to him, he made his way to Stormwind. After pleading his case before the magistrates however, Zacheus was informed that Stormwind could not compensate him for his loss, and that his thirst for vengeance was something that he would have to solve for himself. That was when he met a woman that would change his life, the leader of the mercenary guild Malakim, Shrike. Malakim Joining their ranks, Zacheus fought alongside the mercenaries and managed to exact a certain amount of vengeance on the Defias occupying Westfall. In time however, he realized that his plight was one shared my many others in the human kingdom, and so he set his sights on helping other militant groups all over the area. This lead to his own time helping the Night Watch of Duskwood. Together with a few others, he lead a small team to attack the Scourge on several fronts, and was personally responsible for a project dubbed "Laughing Skull." Laughing Skull Laughing Skull was a project that had at its heart, the intent of using alternative magic and technology to reverse the power of the Scourge. Together with a Gnome by the name of Icharius Clatterbux, Zacheus volunteered to help gather test subjects for the scientists and Mages working on the secret project. Eventually, various parties in Stormwind learned of their experiments, and judged them too "out there" or too dangerous to be successful. Repealing their funding, the few remaining volunteers were left with few resources to continue their dream project. That was when the unthinkable happened. Zacheus was infected with the Scourge plague during a routine attack on a Scourge enclave. Returning to the base, he begged Icharius to try the still experimental techniques to reverse the affects of the virus before he could be turned. Putting aside his better judgement, Icharius agreed to his friend's request, and Zacheus became the final test subject of the Laughing Skull project. Unfortunately, as many such projects often do, events went awry. Zacheus' infection not only refused to be cured, but actually accelerated. With his mind lost to the will of the Lich King, Zacheus began to wreak havoc on those closest to him at the time of his transformation. Murdering everyone in the project (save Icharius, who faked his own death and was able to escape via magical means), Zacheus began a relentless march towards where he felt the Lich King's calling. North, to the Plaguelands... Upon arrival in the Eastern Plaguelands, Zacheus began fighting his way up in the ranks of the Scourge. Noting his talent, Zacheus was eventually recruited by another Death Knight, and empowered to fight alongside them as a fellow wielder of a runeblade and Scourge magic. Taking up the armor of a Death Knight, Zacheus was transformed, and given his new name: Zerubael. Change in the Wind Following the Lich King's defeat at Light's Hope Chapel, Zerubael found himself torn. He no longer had the Lich King's direct control over his will, and was one of many Death Knights who found their way south to the kingdom of Stormwind. There he was accepted along with the other defectors, though for him he never truly accepted any need of forgiveness or to rejoin the forces of the Alliance. It wasn't long before the lone Death Knight began causing trouble, starting with his attempts to restart the experiments of the Laughing Skull program. In particular, an item known as the "Chosen-Blade", which was actually a modified plague spreader that was intended to reverse the Scourge's impact over a large area. Further modifying it, Zerubael unknowingly began following Arthas' whisperings, and would have found a way to infect many people in Stormwind except for the direct intervention of the Gray Myst Syndicate and Malakim. After an intervention by several old friends, Zerubael seemed genuinely repentant. Returning to Archerus, he repledged his support for the Knights of the Ebon Blade, and swore to help track down the perpetrator of the attacks against Malakim. However, it wasn't long before his mind was again corrupted, this time by the direct communications of a group that had dedicated themselves to destroying the mercenary group totally. Manipulating his feelings of betrayal and the still cracked mind of the Death Knight, Zerubael found himself throwing his lot in with their scheme to destroy his former colleagues. Particularly, he pledged himself to defeating their leader, Shrike, whom he blamed for not coming to his aid while fighting in Duskwood. Laying Low Thus far, Zerubael has retaken his identity as Zacheus Greystone, and has passed himself off as a merchant, providing necessary supplies to militant groups working in the North. Along the way his power has increased slowly and steadily, as has his resolve to face his former friends in battle. As he works, he also gathers and spreads information, in the hopes it will lead him into a position of trust from his former colleagues and enable him to strike at their heart (in concert with the other members of the conspiracy.) Along the way there have been several close calls, including his inadvertant attack on the Cenarion Circle in Moonglade when a pair of Druids managed to uncover part of his plot. As well as directly threatening another member of Malakim in a bout of insanity, Zerubael has taken few efforts to disguise his desire to destroy anyone who gets in his way, or anyone who happens to be standing around him at the time for that matter. It remains to be seen if Zerubael's shifting insanity will drive him to further acts of violence that will ultimately betray his plot, or if he can maintain his composure long enough to strike at Malakim itself. Coming of the Dawn After wandering the wastes of the Plaguelands for some time, Zerubael was eventually captured by the Argent Dawn. Believing that he could be saved if cut off from Arthas's influence, he was taken to Light's Hope Chapel. There he was put through a rigorous process the culminated with his powers as a Death Knight being stripped away. He was eventually taken in by the Knights of the Ebon Blade, and taught what it meant to live as a Death Knight free of Arthas's influence. As part of his newfound life, he was also assigned a Shade to watch over him and report back if he ever again showed signs of his former madness and evil. Retaking the name Zerubael, he went out in an effort to redeem himself in the eyes of his people. Returning to Westfall, he has worked diligently against the Defias and various factions tearing apart his homeland. He hopes that in time, he will make an account for the actions he took while being influenced by darkness, and that some day he can be accepted as a hero rather than a villain. Category:Alliance Category:Human Category:Death Knight Category:Guildless